Philanthropy: Colin Farrell Buys Homeless Man's Love At TIFF

Stress, whose actual first name is Dave, was taken Tuesday afternoon in Farrell's car to Europe Bound on Front St. E., where Farrell reportedly spent over $2,000 after encouraging Stress to get whatever he wants. Stress proceeded to fill up on a $500 jacket, some boots, pants, and socks.

Farrell also handed Stress a wad of cash to cover at least the first and last month's rent -- possibly as much as a year's worth of rent, some reports said -- so that he could get off the streets and rent a room.

For Farrell, who was in town this week for the Toronto International Film Festival, it was his second time hanging out with Stress. The two paired up four years ago after a radio host offered $2,000 to anyone who could bring Farrell to the studio. Farrell heard this, found the first homeless person he saw, who happened to be Stress, went to the station, and Stress pocketed the two grand.

Within hours of the charitable act, word had spread among the festival's remaining high-profile attendees, who eschewed the extravagant gift bags made available to them in favor of the new must-have TIFF accessory: a local homeless man. Personal assistants carrying fistfuls of loonies soon poured out of hotel revolving doors and onto Bloor St., with orders not to return until they had obtained an authentic Canadian hobo--or at the very least a dirty looking man who says "Eh?" a lot--who was open to a little sweatshirt and sheepskin-boot pampering at the nearby Roots store.

• Farrell's homeless pal takes a Stress leave [torontosun.com]